Car-coupling.



No. 650,523. Patented May 29, |900.

A. J. AsHEn & w. A. GAuTT.

CAR GUUPLING.

(Application led June 80, 1899,)

(No Model.)

i EIUIIHINMIIIIHIII ALBERT J. Astma AND wILmAMA. eAUT'r, or noUNn noon, 'r )XAs CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,523, dated May 29, 1900.

Application tiled .Tune 30, 1899.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALBERT J. ASHEB. and WILLIAM A. GAUTT, citizens of thc United States, residing at Round Rock, in the county of Williamson and State of Texas, have inventedA a new and useful Car-Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-couplings of that class embodying a pair of pivoted catches engaging a headed link and having suitable uncoupling-levers therefor.

The objects of the present invention are to provide certain new and useful improvementsin this class of couplings which will greatly simplify the construction and facilitate the operation thereof by providing levers upon the end of the car having suitable connections with the pivoted catches, whereby the device may be operated, and, further, to provide means for locking the levers to hold the coupling open. These and other objects and advantages of our improvements will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in thc claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the end of a car having our improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the coupler having the top of the draw-head removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View thereof. detail view illustrating the manner of locking the levers. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the pivoted catches. Fig. Gis a detail perspective view of the `headed link.

Corresponding part-s in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the end of a car having our improvements attached thereto. 'lhe draw-head 2 is connected with the car in the usual manner. Arranged within the mouth of the draw-head and pivoted at each side, as at 3, is a pair of jaws or catches 4. These catches are pivoted at or near the outer end of the draw-head, eX- tending therein a suitable distance, being 'beveled at its inner end, as at 5, and provided with a longitudinal slot or groove 6 in the upper edge thereof. These pivoted catches or Fig. 4 is a Serial No. 722,357. (No model.)

zontal arms lO and 1l arranged at each end, respectively, and projecting in opposite.' directions, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. ,'lhe ex- 55 tremities of the lower arms 10 are bent at an angle, as at 9, and operate in the slots 6 of the jaws. The arm 1l of lever 7 extends above the top of the draw-head and is formed into a hook 12, which is suitably secured to 6o having the operating-handle 16 of one lever 65 extending above the top of the car and the other below the bottom of the car, so that they may be operated bot-hl from the ground and from the top of the car. Each of the levers 7 has a connection with each of the op- 7o erating-levers 15 by means of the short rodv 1.3, connecting with the short arm of one of the levers l5, and the long rod 14 with the long arm ofthe other lever 15. By this arrangement it willV be readily understood that the device may be operated to couple or uncouple from either-side of the car. A suitable spring is connect-ed with one of the .levers to hold the device in coupled position,

shown here as acoiled spring 1G, fastened 8o to the end of the car' at one end and to the lever l5 at the other.`

To accommodate this coupler to the ordinary pin-and-link coupling, we provide a suitable pin 17, connected to the end of the car by a chain 18 and adapted to enter alined openings 19, provided through the top and bottom of the draw-head.

It is sometimes necessary to hold the pivoted jaws 4 open, as when coupled to the ordi- 9o nary pin-and-link coupling, and we have provided means therefor, comprising a latch 20, pivoted at one end upon the top of the car and formed into a transverse head or stopshoulder 2l at the other end and having a 95 guide 22, fastened over the latch to limit the movement thereof and hold the same always in a convenient position for operation. To lock the levers, it is simply necessary to draw either one of them outward and throw the roo head of the latch into a notch 23, provided upon the inner face of the level', as shown in Fig. et, when the device is effectually locked in open position. A similar arrangement is provided upon the under side of the car for the lower lever 15.

The form of link used lin connection with our coupler is shown in Fig. G and comprises a bar 24, having an arrow-head 25 at each end, forming the draft-shoulders 26, and provided With a stem or shoulder 27 midway between the ends of the bar, extending below and at each side thereof to form a stop limiting the inward movement of the link, and the lower side of the mouth of the draw-head iscut away or curved, as at 2S, to form a seat; for the stem 27, which normally extends downdurable car-coupling having ecient means for uncoupling both from the top of the car and from the ground, thus obviating the ne-l cessity of going between the cars, and protects the trainmen from the dangers conse-.-A quent with the ordinary pin-and-lin k coupler.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor detailsof our improvements may be made'` without departing from the spirit and scopel or sacrificing any of the advantages of our invention, and we therefore do not wish to be'nnderstood as limiting ourselves to the precise construction as herein described, and shown in the drawings.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. In anar-coupling, the combination withY a pair of jaws pivoted Within the draW-headL of a pair of operating-levers arranged re-` spectivelyat opposite sides of the draw-head, and fulcrumed intermediate their ends, and

rodsoperatively connected respectively with said jaws and the two arms of their respective levers, substantially as described.

.2. In a car-coupling, the combination with a pair of jaws pivotally mounted in the drawhead, of an intermediately-fulcrumed operating-lever mounted at one side of the drawhead, and a pair of oscillating levers each having a sliding engagement with one of the jaws and havin gtheir opposite ends connected respectively to the two arms of the operatinglever, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination with a pair of jaws pivoted Within the draw-head, and a'pair of operating-levers mounted upon the end of the car and arranged respectively at opposite sides of the draw-head, of means operatively connecting the respective jaws and the levers, comprising an oscillating lever pivoted through the top ofthe draw-head, having Aone end Working in a slot or groove formed in theupper edge of the jaw, and rods connecting the other end of the oscillating Our improvements provide a simple-andv lever, with each of the operating-levers, substantially as shown'a'nd described.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination with a pair of jaws pivoted within the draw-head and a pair ofoperating-levers mounted upon the end of the car,being arranged respectively on-opposite sides of the draw-head, and having the handles of the respective levers extending oneabove and the other below the car, of 'means operatively connecting the respective jaws with each of the levers, comprising an oscillating'lever pivoted through the top of the draw-head, having oneend working in a slot 4or groove formed in the upper edge of the jaw, rods connecting the other end of the oscillating lever with each of the operating-levers at points on opposite sides `of the pivots thereof, a spring connected with one of the levers for holding the jaws in locked position, and a latch pivoted upon the car having a head or lshoulder engaging a knotch in one of the levers, for holding the jaws in open position, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

.f ALBERT J. ASHER.

WILLIAM A. 'GAUT'IK Witnesses:

H. B.' SHEPPARL R. E. MITCHELL. 

